The Cyclone D4 was the surprise hit of 2007. When it was first
announced, racers were unsure what to expect, however with the
success of the Cyclone Touring Car, they knew the Cyclone D4 would
be something special! At major off-road races around the world, it
enjoyed great success and a swarm of spectators wherever it went,
as racers were eager to see what this new electric 4WD buggy could
do.[section2]

At the 2007 IFMAR Off-Road Worlds, several option parts were used
by the HB team drivers, including the drivers who made it into the
A Final - the fastest electric 4WD buggy drivers in the world! The
wide range of options throughout the car each had incremental
updates and modifications that made the Cyclone D4 easier to drive
and faster on the demanding Japanese off-road circuit.

We are proud to announce the Cyclone D4 World Championship Edition
Kit, which includes the base Cyclone D4 kit with all the options
used by the team in Japan:

The pictures below show the original Cyclone D4 car, plus close-up
views of the latest features included with the World Championship
Edition.

Get Support From the Team
The world wide HB racing team didn't want to stop with the World
Championship winning Cyclone Touring Car. The D4 is the team's next
step in making top level racing machines for a wide variety of
racing classes. Every D4 driver will benefit from the racing
experience of our world wide HB Off-Road Racing Team through the
latest, top performance setup sheets and state of the art option
parts development.

The HB website provides extensive set up sheets from the latest
races and detailed build tips to get the best performance out of
your D4 buggy.

The HB racing team will constantly develop the car and new options
to stay on top of the competition. This means you will always have
access to these developments and also stay on top of the
competition with a future-proof platform.

Off-road racers will also be able to easily find spares and options
- comprehensive parts lists, exploded views and the power of the
world wide HPI/HB logistics system means that parts will be easy to
find and supply will be constant and free of interruptions for D4
owners around the world.

Why Shaft Drive?
Hot Bodies designers had an important decision to make before
getting started on the off-road platform: what kind of drivetrain
would be best? While the belt-drive Cyclone touring car is
certainly the best on-road 4WD racer there is, the designers
weren't sure a belt drivetrain could properly deal with the rigors
of off-road racing.

Finally the decision was made for the shaft drive design for two
main reasons:

1. The more direct response of a shaft drive system gives
competitive Off Road racers the extra control they need. In
Off-Road racing, throttle response on rough terrain or in the air
is much more important for controlling the car than in an on-road
environment.

2. Using a shaft drive train, meant our designers could ensure a
sealed drivetrain that would be protected against the elements and
be more reliable over bumps and through the ruts and therefore
deliver a higher efficiency.

One word about torque steer: This is an issue in on-road cars with
their narrower track, smaller tyres and shorter suspensions. In
Off-Road cars, however, the mass of the tyres is much higher and
the suspension is much wider. Therefore the force created by the
rotating shafts is insignificant in relation. Bottom line torque
steer is not an issue at all and the advantages of the shaft drive
make it the superior system for Off-Road.

CHASSIS
Double Deck Design
The Cyclone D4 WCE features improved weight distribution for better
balance, even greater mid-air control over the jumps and lower lap
times for racers. It's hard to improve on one of the fastest kits
we make, but our designers have pulled it out again!

The foundation of the Cyclone D4 is its sturdy double-deck chassis.
Made from woven graphite because of its low weight and high
strength, the lower chassis is 2.5mm thick and the front and rear
upper chassis pieces are each 2.5mm thick. Connecting the upper and
lower chassis are the front and rear moulded composite gearboxes
and the aluminium motor mount/middle bulkhead.

To make sure the chassis is extra-stiff and allows the suspension
to do the work it's designed to do, the upper decks are held in
place with a total of 11 flat head countersunk screws. The screws
are arranged in a fully symmetrical pattern to minimise the effects
of tweak on the suspension. Finally, a unique fan mount is included
to help keep your motor cool in the toughest of conditions.

Prepared for the Latest Electronics
The lower chassis is as narrow as possible to place the weight as
close to the center line of the car as possible. This improves the
speed of weigh transfer for faster cornering.

Because of the clean layout there is enough room to easily fit any
current electronics package, whether brushless or standard brushed
system.

The motor fits into a large cooling cutout on the main chassis to
allow it to get plenty of air, and to let it sit as low as possible
in the chassis.

Fitting the batteries is very easy, too! The saddle pack style
arrangement makes sure you get equal weight distribution and the
moulded battery trays allow mounting the battery in two positions,
all the way to the rear or slightly forward. This lets you tune the
weight balance of the D4 for extra rear traction or more steering.
Convenient straps hold the battery in place securely and allow you
to quickly install and remove the batteries simply by removing body
clips.

Hardware
Keeping everything in place on the chassis are high quality
Japanese-made hex head steel screws. The high grade steel resists
breaking and the precision cutting ensures the screws tap the
carbon plastic properly, letting you go through rebuilds without
wearing the threads out.

All the screws feature a hex head which looks great and makes the
car much easier to work on.
The standard steel ball ends are heavy duty and feature long
threaded shafts to allow infinite adjustments with a selection on
aluminium shims.
Cool purple anodized light weight shims are used throughout for
camber link, bump steer and Ackermann adjustments.

* Hex head screws
* Steel ball ends
* Aluminium anodized shims

SUSPENSION
New front and rear shock towers are supplied in the Cyclone D4 WCE
kit, featuring extra material around the mounting screws and a new
button head screw design for the front shock tower to improve
durability and crash resistance.

From the one-piece aluminium front suspension bulkhead to the
Infinite Roll Centre adjustments, you'll surely appreciate the
effort that went into the suspension design of the D4.

In particular, the front end of an off-road racer has to deal with
quite a lot - from pointing the car in the right direction, to
powering the car through the middle of a tight turn, and even
correcting the angle of the car in mid-air, there are many jobs
it's entrusted to do, and it must do them all very well if the car
is going to be a success! This is why Hot Bodies engineers spent as
long as they could perfecting the design of the front suspension,
to make sure everything was correct and is ready to go right out of
the box for today's advanced racing drivers.

Shocks
The Cyclone D4 WCE features all-new shock absorbers, designed to be
easier to assemble and maintain. With easy bleeding options and
improved upper and lower shock caps, you can rebuild the shocks
faster and they will also be more consistent while lasting longer
between rebuilds. All the metal hardware is hard-anodized for
durability.

Our designers spent a long time getting the shocks in perfect order
for high-level off-road racing.

The hard-anodized 7075 shock bodies are very tough, made from the
strongest aluminium alloy used in RC today. Each shock body is also
threaded for infinite ride height adjustment. The fine pitch of the
thread allows you to make extremely small adjustments so you get
the perfect ride height for any track you race on! Knurled shock
collars allow you to get a good grip for easy adjustments and
o-rings in the collars prevent any unwanted movement.

The top and bottom of each shock are enclosed with threaded
aluminium caps. The top shock cap secures the mount in position,
while the bottom shock cap contains a double o-ring shaft seal.
Aluminium is used for the bottom cap for increased durability,
lower maintenance and ease of rebuilding. However you prefer to
fill your shocks, from the top or from the bottom these shocks can
accommodate you! To prevent leakage both caps feature an o-ring
seal.

For easy assembly the kit includes a set of tailor-made shock
building tools for the top and bottom caps.

Each shock shaft is made from tough stainless steel, and feature
threads at both ends - at the top to hold the shock pistons in
place and at the bottom to attach the bottom shock mount.

For ultra fine tuning of the damping characteristics you get three
different shock pistons with the kit. If this isn't enough for you
there is also a set of blank pistons to drill your own piston
holes!

Ride height limiters are included with the kit as well, allowing
you to fine-tune the suspension to your exact driving style, track
conditions and particular needs.

Springs
The D4 comes with HB black off-road springs as standard, which are
the softer option of three different spring rates that are
available for the car. Each spring is precisely tuned for off-road
racing and features ground-flat ends, an all-black finish for
stealthy good looks and identifying paint marks at one end.

* Ground flat ends
* Colour coded
* Three grades available

Optimized Geometry
In months of extensive track testing our HB race team and engineers
have developed what we think is the finest off-road suspension
geometry available today: wide track suspension arms, inverse
steering block design, vertical ball end placement and of course
full adjustability to name just a few highlights.

Suspension Mounts
The front lower suspension arms are mounted to a one-piece
aluminium bulkhead which directly bolts to the chassis.

With the suspension components attached to the chassis
independently of the gearboxes and other parts, you can be sure
that the suspension does all the work of absorbing landings and
keeping the tyres on the ground. No forces are transferred from the
suspension to the drive train or vice versa.

* One piece aluminium front bulkhead
* Rear aluminium pivot blocks

Hinge Pins
The new front bumper is wider to protect the hinge pins, and
securely encloses the mounts for the new front sway bar.

All hinge pins are made from durable stainless steel and are held
in place without e-clips, making removal of critical suspension
parts easy and quick. Rubber bushings in the front bulkhead and
rear pivot blocks hold the hinge pins in place and absorb shocks
that might otherwise bend the pins or break other parts of the
suspension.

Set screws hold the outer hinge pins in place, completing the 'No
e-clip' suspension design and making the car overall easier to work
on than other designs.

Suspension Arms
The Cyclone D4 WCE front arms have extra material added to
withstand crashes, bad traffic and rough landings. A ball
attachment for the new front swaybar is included on the front arms
for easy attachment.

Front and rear wishbones feature a sleek aerodynamic design with
integrated webbing to make them extra strong. The carbon-reinforced
composite plastic makes them stiff and resists twisting. The
V-shape design of the rear wishbones increases stiffness even
further and allows the usage of longer stroke shocks.

Inverse Steering Block Design
The D4 steering blocks are a marvel of simplicity and design
brilliance in their own right. The steering knuckles go around the
uprights instead sitting inside a large C-hub as in a conventional
design.This "inverse" design allows the use of much more compact,
simple, straight forward parts which makes the steering more
precise and the construction more durable.

Providing the maximum amount of drivetrain efficiency while the
suspension is compressed or when the front wheels are steering at
extreme angles, Cyclone D4 engineers made sure that the steering
kingpin and the universal joint line up exactly. This reduces
stress on the universal joints and gives you increased driving
feedback as you go through a turn.

The huge openings in the uprights for the driveshafts make sure
nothing gets in the way of the shafts or the universal joints

The rear anti-squat is adjustable with the two independent hinge
pin pivot blocks. Placing aluminium shims under blocks varies the
anti-squad angle to keep all the power on the ground.

Variable caster is provided by the 7 or 10 degree (both included)
front caster blocks, and allows you to select the right amount for
your driving style. More front caster generates more initial
steering into the corner but less steering out of the corner.

Front toe is easily adjustable using the titanium steering
turnbuckles.

Rear Toe in is set at three degrees at the pivot blocks as
standard. It is also adjustable through the use of sturdy optional
pivot blocks and/or rear hubs.

Using the Cyclone Infinite Roll Centre (IRC) adjustments, you'll be
able to swiftly and conveniently control your roll centre front and
rear. Long ball studs hold the camber ball links in place, and
washers are used under the ball studs to raise or lower them as
needed for each particular track.

The D4 features 2 inner and 1 outer camber link location at the
front, and 1 inner and 2 outer locations for the rear.

The wheel base can be adjusted simply by using shims on the outer
rear hinge pin to change the position of the rear hub.

Shock Mounting Locations
Four holes in the front shock tower and two holes in the suspension
arm allow you a big range of possibly shock angles for easy tuning
to any track. Both front and rear shock towers are made from
ultra-stiff 3.3mm woven graphite for supreme stiffness and maximum
strength!

Rear Swaybar
The rear arms feature attachment points for a swaybar.

A firm silver sway bar comes as standard with the kit and an
optional softer swaybar is available.

Steering
All the power that you can get from your Cyclone D4 won't mean a
thing if you can't control it - which is why the D4's steering
system is designed for ultimate control and response.

The heavy-duty steering system features a huge range of adjustments
and standard features. The steering bellcranks are firmly attached
between the upper and lower chassis pieces for solid control and
rigidity. Riding on four ball bearings, the steering system allows
you to experience full control and extreme precision. An adjustable
servo saver is built-in to protect your steering servo from bad
landings and rough crashes.

The steering servo is securely held in place with four screws
directly on the lower chassis.

With the unique Cyclone Infinite Ackerman Steering (CIAS), you'll
find that advanced steering tuning is easier than ever, giving you
precise control over your cornering angles and power.

You'll no doubt find that the D4 steering system is unique to
off-road racers and features everything the expert-level racer
requires for maximum control and racing accuracy.

Suspension and Steering Links
All suspension and steering links are made of super light purple
anodized titanium turnbuckles and heavy duty oversized ball cups.
Together they form a strong and easy to adjust unit. The oversized
ball cups ensure the turnbuckles have plenty of grip from the long
threads and won't strip out or change the settings in crashes or
heavy landings.

DRIVETRAIN
Middel Bulkhead
We've already gone over why HB designers chose shaft drive over
belt, but now we'll get further into the details!

The centrepiece of the drivetrain is the aluminium middle bulkhead.
It is a 3-piece design consisting of the front half including the
motor mount, the rear half and an interlocking top brace, all made
from slick, black anodized aluminium.

The aluminium top brace is held in place with four hex head screws
allowing extremely easy slipper clutch adjustments and
maintenance.

The tough spur gear is 48dp fine pitch for efficient power
transfer. A wide range of optional pinion gears is available to
fine tune the gear ratio.

* Strong anodized aluminium
* 3-piece design
* Easy slipper access

Slipper Clutch
The slipper clutch in the Cyclone D4 WCE has been heavily modified
to allow external adjustment of the slipper action without having
to remove the slipper clutch from the chassis. Simply access the
clutch through the upper deck and you're off!

The adjustable centre slipper clutch controls the application of
power on low-traction off- road surfaces. Controlled and adjustable
spinning of the slipper clutch instead of excessive wheel spin
gives you more control and improved acceleration. The dual slipper
pads are made from a proprietary long-life material for a
consistent and smooth slipper action and long lifetime.

Centre Drive Shafts
The two front and rear centre drive shafts are made from
extra-thick purple aluminium to keep the rotating mass low while
maintaining strength.
In the slipper out drives steel pins are used for the dogbone end
to increase durability and resist wear.

Going into the gearbox, universal joints connect the centre drive
shaft to the internal bevel gears. Inside each gearbox, a pinion
gear spins a ring gear attached to ball diff. The internal gears
are also completely new and designed just for the D4!

* Universal joints
* Thick anodized aluminium

Gearboxes
The front and rear gearboxes and drive gears are a completely new
design for the Cyclone D4 and are not re-used from any previous
kit. Moulded from tough carbon composite plastic, each gearbox top
and bottom features a tough structure of internal webbing to make
them extra-strong to resist damage from crashes and big jumps.

The lower gearbox halves attach solidly to the main chassis and
seal perfectly with the upper gearbox halves to provide a
dirt-proof seal which protects the gears from any damage. The shock
towers and upper decks connect to the upper gearbox halves, making
them a strong and vital part of the chassis!

The gearboxes are not connected to the lower suspension arms at
all, so they will not be affected by crashes or big jumps.

Ball Differentials
The ball diffs are interchangeable front and rear which keeps your
spare parts count low, and feature carbide diff and thrust balls.
This will give very smooth and consistent diff action which is
essential for good cornering performance. The carbide material also
increases the time between rebuilds.

Strong steel outdrives can handle all the power of a low-turn
modified motors!

The diffs are also externally adjustable by simply popping off a
camber link and using a hex wrench.

* Carbide balls
* Steel outdrives
* Externally adjustable

Universal Driveshafts
Getting the power from the diffs to each wheel are state of the art
steel universal dogbones and axles, featuring the Hot Bodies logo
laser-etched on each dogbone! Once again, steel pins are used for
the dogbone end to resist wear.

* Low friction
* Durable

Ball Bearings
Everything spins on 22 precision ball bearings for the best
drivetrain efficiency and no loss of power!

The ball bearings are efficiently placed, with large diameter
bearings on the slipper clutch and each diff, and small diameter
bearings at each corner for less unsprung weight.

* Fully ball raced
* Rubber sealed
* Efficiently placed

Hex Hubs
With the multitude of off-road wheels available now, Hot Bodies
designers knew that making the D4 able to fit a variety of the most
popular wheels would help make it a popular choice for experienced
racers.

That is why the D4 features 12mm hexes at the front and rear to not
only take the new D4 dish wheels but also a wide range of 3rd party
rims.

The front hexes are made from steel and are extra thin with the pin
sitting on the outside of the hex preventing the hex and pin from
falling off without a wheel attached.

The rear hexes made from aluminium and are clamp-style which again
holds the hex precisely and securely in place.

The use of aluminium hexes instead of a simple pin allows you to
fully tighten the wheel nuts without fear of binding or crushing
the bearings. This guarantees a free-spinning drivetrain. You'll
also notice that your wheels will last longer!

* Precise wheel fitting
* Compatible with 3rd party wheels

Wheels
The HB dish wheels are a one-piece solid design with an aerodynamic
shape for increased strength and less chance of getting dirt stuck
in the wheels. With a 2.2-inch standard size, any 4WD front and
2WD/4WD rear tyres will fit.

No tyres are included so you can choose the ideal tyres for your
local track. So you don't have to pay extra for something you don't
want or need.

* Strong one piece design
* Lightweight
* Aerodynamic dish design

Wheel Compatability
For the front smaller 10mm hexes to fit Losi wheels are available
as options parts.

At the rear Losi and Associated wheels will fit by simply removing
the hex hub - just right for the 2WD racer who wants to give 4WD a
try but doesn't want to buy a selection of new rear tyres!

Going the other way, you'll be able to also fit HB rear wheels to
any Losi or Associated 2WD buggy by simply adding the clamp-on hex
hubs.

* Losi front 4WD
* Losi and Associated rear 2WD

Bodyshell
The bodyshell of the D4 features a sleek yet high-downforce shape
that is designed to maximise aerodynamic efficiency for performance
and speed. The ultra-narrow chassis shape is enhanced by the
form-fitting bodyshell that fits snugly around the lower
chassis.

The narrow cockpit shape lets as much air as possible flow to the
rear of the bodyshell, as it goes over the high-angle spoiler just
before the rear shock tower and wing.

Durable wing mounts hold the wide rear wing in place high above the
body, and also help prevent damage to the shock tower in rollover
crashes. A front wing is included that attaches to the front shock
tower for those times you need some extra front end grip.

Protecting the bottom of the woven graphite chassis is a
polycarbonate undertray which fits perfectly inside the Cyclone D4
bodyshell. The undertray slots into the front bumper and then uses
a unique cam attachment to hold securely onto the main chassis. No
tape needed, so no fuss!

Keeping your electronics clean and free of any moisture is
definitely an important consideration in off-road racing these
days, and HB designers found that this was the best way to do
it!

For those hot days of summer racing when the temperatures rise, the
front cooling ducts can be opened up to allow fresh air to
circulate over the motor, speedo and batteries. To let extra air
out, the vents directly over the batteries can be cut out to
release hot air.